One of Iraq's most powerful Shiite leaders, Abdul-Aziz Al-Hakim, died in Iran Wednesday after his health deteriorated while he was being treated for lung cancer. He was 59. Al-Hakim wielded enormous influence since the 2003 US invasion as head of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, maintaining close ties to both the Americans and his Iranian backers. His death comes two days after his party, SIIC, the largest Shiite grouping joined with followers of anti-US cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr to form a new political alliance to contest January parliamentary elections. In a rare show of Shiite disunity, the new Iraqi National Alliance excluded Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, dealing a major blow to his chances to keep his job at the helm of the country after the Jan. 16 vote. Al-Hakim has largely withdrawn from the public eye since being diagnosed with cancer. But he has groomed his son, Ammar, as his successor.
